Whole histories of Barba Christos’s benevolence have been written and are too lengthy to include here. Simply put, he was the “Christopher Columbus” of Greece. An almost mythical figure, he and his young band [of immigrant males from Goritsa, Tsintzina, Zoupena, and neighboring villages] laid the foundations for the Greek Community in Hawaii, Chicago, Illinois, and the Ohio River Valley.131 The family name among Tsintzinians is of relatively recent origin and is found in other villages in the region of Tsakonia.

Tsakonas arrived at New York on March 8, 1873. After spending a few months peddling candy from a pushcart, he moved west to Chicago — a boomtown recovering from the Chicago fire of 1871 — where he became a very successful fruit and candy peddler. Two years later in 1875, Christos had earned enough money to return to Tsintzina and pay off his family's debts. He returned to Chicago that same year with five of his cousins. He would repeat this practice at least a half dozen or more times, encouraging and shepherding hundreds of his friends and relatives from Tsintzina and surrounding villages to follow him to "the promised land of economic opportunity."

He never married but has many “sons” and “daughters” to this day. His memory is eternal among the children of Greek immigrants.

Researchers can find articles and references to books online, including extensive notes at www.tsintzinasociety.com.